Mapbox MCP Server vs Fetch (Reference)

A side-by-side comparison of two Search & Web servers — tools, transport, auth, maintenance, and copy-paste config for each.

	Mapbox MCP Server Geospatial intelligence for AI: geocoding, POI search, routing, isochrones, matrices, and static maps via Mapbox APIs. Unverified stdio (local) API key TypeScript	Fetch (Reference) Official MCP reference server that fetches a URL and returns its content as clean Markdown, with chunking. Verified stdio (local) No auth Python
Category	Search & Web	Search & Web
Language	TypeScript	Python
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	API key	None
GitHub stars	347	87k
Last commit	12 days ago	20 days ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`npx -y @mapbox/mcp-server`	`uvx mcp-server-fetch`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Mapbox MCP Server if you need the broadest set of tools.

Pick Fetch (Reference) if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Add Mapbox MCP Server

Install / run

npx -y @mapbox/mcp-server

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mapbox-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@mapbox/mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN": "<YOUR_TOKEN>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add Fetch (Reference)

Install / run

uvx mcp-server-fetch

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "fetch-reference": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-server-fetch"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Requires `uv` (the Python package runner). Install it from https://docs.astral.sh/uv/ if `uvx` is not found.

FAQ

Mapbox MCP Server or Fetch (Reference) — which is better?

Pick Mapbox MCP Server if you need the broadest set of tools. Pick Fetch (Reference) if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Can I use both Mapbox MCP Server and Fetch (Reference)?

Yes — MCP clients let you enable multiple servers at once. Add both configs to your client's mcpServers and use whichever tool fits the task.

Do Mapbox MCP Server and Fetch (Reference) work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

Both do. Copy the per-client config below into Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf.

View Mapbox MCP Server →View Fetch (Reference) →More comparisons →